Carex ovalis

Goodenough

Trans. Linn. Soc. 2: 148. 1794.

Common names: Carex des lièvres
Illustrated
Synonyms: Carex tracyi Mackenzie
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 353. Mentioned on page 334, 341, 342, 354.

Plants densely cespitose. Culms (24–) 35–85 cm. Leaves: sheath adaxially white-hyaline, summits U-shaped to rounded; distal ligules 2–3 mm; blades (1–) 2–4 (–5) per fertile culm, flat ± to tip, 7–22 cm × (1.5–) 2–3.5 (–4) mm. Inflorescences stiffly erect, usually open, brown, 1.5–4 cm × 10–15 mm; proximal internode (2.5–) 4–10 mm; 2d internode (2.5–) 3–6 mm; proximal bracts scalelike or bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences. Spikes 5–9, usually loosely aggregated, ovoid to broadly ovoid, 9–14 × 6–8 mm, base attenuate, apex rounded to tapered. Pistillate scales reddish gold to brown or greenish, often white-hyaline at tip or base, with pale or green midstripe, narrowly to broadly ovate, 3.4–5 mm, length and width less or greater than perigynia, margin not white-hyaline, apex acute to acuminate. Perigynia ascending to ascending-spreading, gold to light-brown, conspicuously 3–9-veined abaxially, conspicuously 2–5-veined adaxially, lanceolate to ovate, usually flat except over achene, 3.4–4.7 (–5.2) × 1.3–2.1 mm, 0.4–0.5 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.2–0.6 mm wide; beak redbrown or gold at tip, usually cylindric, unwinged, ± entire for 0.3–0.5 mm, sometimes flat, ciliate-serrulate to tip, abaxial suture often with conspicuous white margin, distance from beak tip to achene (1.2–) 1.5–2 mm. Achenes elliptic to broadly ovate, 1.1–1.8 × 0.9–1.2 mm, 0.4–0.5 mm thick. 2n = 62, 64, 66, 68.


Phenology: Fruiting summer.
Habitat: Meadows, seasonally wet soils
Elevation: 0–1100 m

Distribution

V23 613-distribution-map.jpg

St. Pierre and Miquelon, B.C., N.B., Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), N.S., P.E.I., Calif., Maine, Nev., N.H., N.Y., N.C., Oreg., Pa., Tenn., Wash., Wis., Eurasia, New Zealand

Discussion

Carex leporina Linnaeus has been incorrectly applied to C. ovalis in North America.

Carex ovalis is naturalized in the flora in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Connecticut, Maine (one locality), New Hampshire, New York, and Wisconsin; it is naturalized also in New Zealand.

West coast plants are apparently native and sometimes have been recognized as a distinct species, Carex tracyi.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number."+timesaslongasinflorescences" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."not undefined" is not a number.

... more about "Carex ovalis"
68 +, 66 +, 64 +  and 62 +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
elliptic;broadly ovate +
smaller +
0.4mm +  and 0.5mm +
bidentatate +
papillose +
acute;acuminate +
Joy Mastrogiuseppe +, Paul E. Rothrock +, A. C. Dibble +  and A. A. Reznicek +
Goodenough +
persistent +
attenuate +
not enlarged +
ciliate-serrulate +  and entire +
cylindric +
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (22 cm220 mm <br />0.22 m <br />) +
2 +  and 4 +
v--shaped +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
glumaceous +  and foliaceous +
2-ranked +  and arranged +
ascending +  and appressed +
scale-like +  and leaflike +
parallel +  and divergent +
terete +, rolled +  and plicate +
Carex des lièvres +
round +  and trigonous +
35 cm350 mm <br />0.35 m <br /> (85 cm850 mm <br />0.85 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
St. Pierre and Miquelon +, B.C. +, N.B. +, Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.) +, N.S. +, P.E.I. +, Calif. +, Maine +, Nev. +, N.H. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, Oreg. +, Pa. +, Tenn. +, Wash. +, Wis. +, Eurasia +  and New Zealand +
0–1100 m +
open +, pistillate +  and staminate +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Meadows, seasonally wet soils +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
not prophyllate +, sessile +  and pistillate +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
basal +  and cauline +
white +  and not white-hyaline +
conspicuous +
0.2mm +  and 0.6mm +
green +  and pale +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
2-5-veined +  and 3-9-veined +
gold +  and light-brown +
ascending +  and ascending-spreading +
0.4mm +  and 0.5mm +
Fruiting summer. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Trans. Linn. Soc. +
adventitious +
white-hyaline +, reddish gold +  and brown or greenish +
basal +  and proximal +
less or greater +
0.34 cm3.4 mm <br />0.0034 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
herbaceous +  and membranous +
not differentiated +
cylindric +
Illustrated +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br />) +
ovoid;broadly ovoid +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
deciduous +  and persistent +
2-3(-4)-fid +
u-shaped +  and rounded +
Carex tracyi +
Carex ovalis +
Carex sect. Ovales +
species +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
plant +  and cespitose +